Chapter 64: Shuangyue Village and the Revolutionary Army
Just then, a light, quick footsteps came from the ship's cabin.
“Everyone, thanks for waiting!”
Sanji appeared on the deck, spinning elegantly like a whirlwind, steadily holding a huge silver tray.
On the tray, several colorful, crystal-clear drinks refracted alluring light under the sun, with fine water droplets condensed on the glass walls, emitting a refreshing fruity and minty aroma.
“Come, come, try my latest creation, the ‘East Blue Summer Fantasy Special Blend’!”
Sanji's face was beaming with a confident smile as he skillfully distributed the drinks to everyone, precisely catering to each person's preference.
“Oishii!” Kein gave a thumbs up.
If it were the previous chef team, how could they pull off such a fancy trick?
“That’s really great, Big Brother Kein.” Sanji scratched the back of his head, smiling happily.
Ever since Reiju had a good ‘talk’ with Sanji, Sanji also changed his address.
At this moment, Violet, who was on lookout duty, walked over.
“Kein, Shuangyue Village is straight ahead. However, the Marine ship is still following us.”
After Kein’s battle with Hawkeye, the huge commotion immediately drew the attention of the East Blue Marine Branch.
Since then, a Marine surveillance ship had been following Raikougo from a distance, like a stalker.
They thought their movements were secret, always carefully staying out of Raikougo's blind spot.
But all of this, to Violet, who had a vision range of 4000 kilometers, was like a child's game of hide-and-seek, where they thought they were well hidden, but an adult could see them at a glance.
“Let them be.” Kein waved his hand indifferently.
Chasing them away now would only make it seem like they had something to hide.
They allowed them to follow everywhere else, but not when it came to Shuangyue Village?
Wouldn’t that be clearly telling the Marine that something was fishy here?
But Kein didn't expect that his unintentional action would cause big trouble for some people in Shuangyue Village.
Shuangyue Village, Isshin Dojo.
Koshiro, the dojo master with a ponytail and round-rimmed glasses, was chatting with a man in a tearoom.
“The last batch of food has also been successfully loaded onto the ship, Dragon, you can rest assured.”
Koshiro poured a cup of matcha for his guest opposite him.
The man, wearing a dark green coat, with short black hair, no eyebrows, and several red square tattoos on his left cheek, picked up the teacup and sniffed it gently: “Koshiro, your tea ceremony skills have improved again.”
This person was none other than the World Government's number one enemy, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon!
“You jest. Here, besides teaching my disciples swordsmanship, practicing tea ceremony is my only pastime,” Koshiro shook his head slightly.
“Not only that, you have also made no small contribution to the revolutionary cause!”
Dragon corrected: “Shuangyue Village’s stable food procurement channel has helped us a great deal.”
As the two were conversing in low voices, an unusually hurried footsteps approached, breaking the tranquility of the tearoom.
Swish—the paper door was suddenly pulled open.
A huge face squeezed in. He had abnormally large, dark purple explosion hair, heavy makeup on his face, and was wearing a tight, super low-cut jumpsuit and fishnet stockings.
Emporio Ivankov, one of the founders of the Revolutionary Army, and the commander of the Grand Line Army.
“Dragon, this is bad, the Beasts Pirates are about to land! What’s worse, our lookout comrades spotted the Marine surveillance ship!”
Ivankov’s voice was urgent and flustered.
He wasn't afraid of the Beasts Pirates; with Dragon here, even if Kaido himself came, they would have a chance to escape.
Besides Kaido, even if the Beasts' main forces attacked, they were confident they could protect the villagers.
The problem was the Marine following behind.
If pirates and the Revolutionary Army stood before the Marine separately, the Revolutionary Army would definitely be pursued first.
To the World Government, pirates were just a minor ailment, but the Revolutionary Army aimed to uproot them.
Hearing this, Dragon’s expression immediately turned grim.
Dragon calmly ordered: “Koshiro, immediately evacuate all villagers into the shelter! Quickly!”
The gentle smile on Koshiro's face receded like a tide, and the eyes behind his round-rimmed glasses suddenly became sharp, like a treasured sword about to be unsheathed.
“I’ll go now.”
Koshiro stood up abruptly, grabbed the katana from the sword rack, and walked out with firm steps.
Even if it cost him his life, he would protect this small island.
At all costs!
“What about the food ships?” Dragon quickly turned to Ivankov, “Have they sailed away? If not, immediately conceal them on the spot, hide the food well!”
Ivankov nodded vigorously: “Don’t worry, as soon as the news arrived, I followed the emergency plan and had people unload the freshly loaded food and hide it in the old spot.”
“Good.”
Dragon slightly relaxed, then decisively ordered: “We also need to hide immediately! First, let’s figure out what the Beasts and Marine’s targets are.”
As long as a large-scale conflict didn't break out, their disappearance would provide the greatest protection for the villagers.
The island's only port.
After entrusting the task of evacuating the villagers to his dojo disciples, Koshiro, holding his long sword, rushed to the port at the fastest speed.
A strong ominous premonition lingered in his heart.
Why did the Beasts Pirates come specifically to the East Blue, and specifically to this obscure small island?
The only answer he could think of was two words—Shuangyue!
Other than that, he really couldn't think of any other reason that would attract the Beasts Pirates.
When Koshiro arrived at the port, what he saw was a huge ship quietly docked by the shore, and a gangplank lowered.
“Huh? It’s so quiet.” A vigorous yet puzzled female voice sounded.
Yamato, who never took the usual path, directly leaped down from the high ship’s rail, curiously surveying the deserted dock.
“Idiot, we are pirates.” Kein complained about the Beasts Pirates' flag; no, even any pirate flag had a powerful intimidating effect on the people of the Four Seas.
Teams like Monkey D. Luffy, who were more adventurers than pirates, were rare, if not unheard of, on the high seas.
“But, there’s still one person over there, and he’s a swordsman.”
Yamato looked at Koshiro as if she had discovered a new continent.
She waved happily: “Hey, old man, do you know where Shimotsuki Kōzaburō is?”
“It’s Kozaburo,” Kein corrected, rubbing his forehead.
So they really came for the Kozuki Family?
Koshiro firmed his suspicion, drew his sword, and pointed it at Yamato: “I don’t care what your purpose is, if you intend to harm the villagers on this island, you’ll have to get past me first.”
“Oh?”
Hawkeye, who had disembarked with the ship, narrowed his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips: “Are there still such swordsmen in the East Blue?”
It was truly the right decision to come to this island this time.
Just as Substitute users attract each other, swordsmen also have a certain resonance between them.
The stronger they are, the more sensitive this resonance.
Seeing him, Koshiro was also stunned: “Hawkeye? How are you on a Beasts pirate ship?”
He recognized the World's Strongest Swordsman, even though he was someone who didn't meddle in worldly affairs.
“After all, they are descendants of the Kozuki Family, a family that produced the Dragon-Slaying Samurai, Shimotsuki Ryuma.”
Kein’s remark caught Koshiro’s attention.
Heavenly Disaster Kain!
A monster on par with Hawkeye!
Such a lineup would probably be enough to assault Marineford!
“What do you want to do? This island shouldn’t have anything worth taking for you.”
Koshiro frowned tightly.
“No, no, no.”
Kein shook his index finger lightly: “Perhaps there are no treasures here, but there are talents as precious as treasures. For example, Shimotsuki Kozaburo, your father, the famous master swordsmith of Wano Country back in the day.”
And a green-haired boy who could become the World's Strongest Swordsman.
Koshiro's face tightened, and his grip on his sword tightened: “You want to take him back? That should be the duty of a Wano Country samurai, shouldn't it?” “Indeed.”
Kein nodded earnestly, then turned sideways, elegantly pointing to the young woman beside him: “So, I brought her. Allow me to introduce Kozuki Hiyori. You should know the meaning of Kozuki, right?”
That was natural.
Even though Koshiro had never set foot in Wano Country in his life, his father had told him about his homeland.
Among them, the Kozuki Family was naturally unavoidable.
Kozuki Hiyori stepped forward, her posture graceful, and her voice gentle: “Mr. Koshiro, please rest assured, we have no ill intentions, we just wish to visit Mr. Kozaburo.”
Kein shrugged, speaking confidently: “If we truly had ill intentions, you would have already fallen. Do you really think you alone could stop us?”
A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Koshiro’s mouth, his taut body slowly relaxed, and with a soft click, the long sword returned to its sheath.
As Kein said, no matter how arrogant he was, he wouldn’t think he could stop both Kein and Hawkeye.
Unless Dragon intervened, but then, the supply line that the Revolutionary Army had so painstakingly built would be destroyed in an instant.
The Marine wouldn't let go of this island and its villagers.
“I hope what you say is true.”
Koshiro turned and stepped forward: “Let’s go, I’ll take you to my father.”
The group had not walked far when they were blocked by a group of figures.
“Teacher! We’re here to help you!”
The dojo disciples, who should have been in the shelter, now stood in unison, blocking the middle of the road.
They were of various ages, their faces showing nervousness, yet filled with the courage to die.
“Nonsense! Who told you to come back?”
Koshiro was trembling with anger, wanting to curse.
The original plan was that even if the Beasts Pirates turned hostile, only the two of them, father and son, would be sacrificed.
But now, all the disciples had run back, practically throwing themselves into the net.
“Teacher, we want to fight alongside you!”
“How can we let Teacher have all the fun fighting pirates!”
The youngsters chattered excitedly, their blood boiling.
“Tsk, Koshiro, you’re good at teaching disciples. Are you interested in joining the Beasts as a sword instructor?”
Kein stroked his chin with interest.
“Sorry, I’m doing very well on this island.” Koshiro refused expressionlessly.
He was a man involved in the cause of liberating all humanity.
“Huh? No, that wouldn’t be Hawkeye, would it?”
A sharp-eyed child suddenly noticed the powerful, sharp-looking man behind his teacher.
“That’s right, it’s him. I’d recognize him even if he turned to ash!”
As swordsmanship students, they might not recognize the Fleet Admiral, but the World's Strongest Swordsman?
There was no way they could mistake him.
The disciples collectively took a cold breath.
This feeling was like cutting chickens in a beginner village, then suddenly looking up and running into the ultimate BOSS.
It was truly shocking.
Hawkeye’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
The local children were too impolite.
“Wait, where’s Zoro? Wasn’t he with you guys?” Koshiro suddenly noticed someone missing among his disciples.
Given Zoro’s personality, it was impossible for him to desert; he was more likely to charge in first.
“Eh? Oh right, where did Zoro go?”
“He was right next to me a moment ago, wasn’t he?”
“In the blink of an eye, how did he disappear?”
The disciples looked at each other, bewildered.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest.
“Damn it, which way is the port?!!!”
The green-haired youth, clutching three swords, howled to the sky.
On the other side.
After sending his disciples away, Koshiro led Kein and his group through the village to the other side of the island.
At the edge of the cliff, a small wooden hut stood alone.
Kein and the others finally met Shimotsuki Kozaburo.
With a unibrow, he wore an old, dark green kimono, smoked a pipe, and had a long sword at his waist, sitting by the cliff fishing.
Kein scanned his surroundings, not seeing a single fish, confirming his observation: another fishing failure.
“Hey, kid, what kind of look is that?!”
Kozaburo was so provoked by Kein’s strange gaze that he jumped up: “It’s not that I can’t catch fish. It’s that I have five ‘no-catches’, don’t you know?!”
Then followed obscure explanations like “don’t catch small fish, save them to grow bigger,” “don’t catch pregnant female fish, save them to expand the family,” “don’t catch ordinary fish, it’s a waste of time,” and so on.
“Huh? So that means you don’t catch anything at all?” The honest child Yamato blurted out.
“Hahahaha—”
The air was filled with joyous laughter.
“You’re infuriating this old man!”
Kozaburo's old face flushed, and he angrily threw his fishing rod to the ground.
After a huff, he looked at Kozuki Hiyori and spoke confidently: “No need to ask, to tame Enma, you can only rely on yourself. Although I forged Enma, I have no shortcuts.”
“Swords also have personalities, they have individuality; the one who makes them obey is the swordsman!”
As he spoke, the aura of a master swordsmith naturally emerged.
Hawkeye secretly nodded.
This man before him was indeed worthy of being a swordsmith capable of forging Great Grade Swords.
Kozuki Hiyori did not reply, but calmly and slowly drew Enma from her waist.
At this moment, Enma in her hand was as obedient as a child.
Kozaburo’s eyes grew serious, “I never thought that in my lifetime, I would see a swordsman who could tame Enma. What is your name?”
“Kozuki Hiyori.”
“Kozuki? Is that Kozuki Sukiyaki?”
“He is my grandfather.”
“Oh, that guy had children faster than his father.”
Kozaburo shook his head, casting off his memories, then asked: “Then why have you come to find me?”
Kein spoke: “We want to ask you to custom-forge a Great Grade Sword for her.”
“Forging a sword?”
Kozaburo sighed faintly, looking down at his old, withered hands, letting out a long and heavy sigh: “I can no longer wield a hammer. The swords I can forge now, at most, are only of the Good Grade Sword level.”
“Is that so?”
Kein’s face showed no disappointment, nor the threat or compulsion Koshiro had expected; he merely nodded calmly, “That’s truly a pity. We apologize for the disturbance.”
Koshiro secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his taut nerves finally relaxing a bit.
It seemed Kein was still reasonable.